ANALYSIS Publication Sponsor
COOPERATION NOT CONFRONTATION Koen Van Dyck, from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, said that Farm To Fork was essential if the EU was to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and he stressed that the strategy was “not about confrontation, it’s about cooperation”. “The solution is not in one LEFT—Carolina
Dawson of French
silver bullet, but in different aspects overall that allow the
research centre
reduction of dangerous pesticides
Cirad
and the safeguarding of the health of consumers,” he said.
Sustainable bananas take cooperation
He highlighted the need for communication, not just with producers, but also the authorities. “It’s about health,” he concluded. “Trade will follow.” Carolina Dawson of French
The global banana sector will need to work together in
research centre Cirad said that
order to become more sustainable, according to experts on
in order to address the issue of
a webinar to mark Banana Day.
decreasing prices, it was crucial to analyse how value was distributed throughout the supply chain. She
by Tom Joyce
stressed the need for transparency
@tomfruitnet
in order to discover the real costs and value of efforts that would
O
but he added that there was an
April, expert speakers
urgent need to innovate in order
is exactly the way to improve
discussed the issue of
to move away from the blanket
the situation,” she noted. “It is
sustainability in the banana
use of fertilisers and diversify
necessary to boost dialogue, reach
sector during a webinar entitled
the crop.
compromises and come out of
“Opening up this sort of debate
“When Farm To Fork Goes
the traditional price war system,
Bananas”.
which isn’t adequate for the
Professor Gert Kema of Wageningen University opened by acknowledging that banana producers had little option other than to use fertilisers given the susceptibility of the Cavendish variety to disease. “TR4 is a threat,” he said, “but
28
lead to sustainable bananas.
n Banana Day on 21
It is necessary to boost dialogue, reach compromises and come out of the traditional price war system Spanish MEP Juan Ignacio Zoido said that pesticide and
industry overall.” Maija Laurila, of the EC’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, said it was necessary to remind the sector that what was good for the environment was often good for business as well.
it is still just in Colombia and
fertiliser reduction was a key
“We have a lot of evidence on
Peru. Black Sigatoka, however, is
part of the EU’s Farm To Fork
how good corporate governance
everywhere. We grow one very
strategy to boost quality and
and sustainability actions are
susceptible variety, and that by
sustainability. But he stressed
profitable for businesses,” she said.
its definition is not sustainable.”
that the “proper administrations”
“We need to show that it is also
Kema said it was important
needed to assist growers with the
good for them and that every
to remember that “we only grow
costs of researching and breeding
company can adopt the transition
bananas because of fertilisers”,
new varieties.
to more a sustainable business.” _
fresh focus banana 2021
p.60-61 (S28-29)TJMAY005.indd 28
18/05/2021 16:58
